In the state of the art, various sports bras have been proposed to provide support for a wearer by including an elastic band disposed at or near the ribs of a wearer to supplement any inherent elasticity in the other portions of the sports bra. Such elastic bands may be less elastic than a material of panels forming the body of the sports bra to secure the sports bra to the torso of the wearer.
As an example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,174,717 and 4,311,150 to Schreiber et al. each discloses an athletic brassiere which is designed to hold the breasts snugly to the body. A wide elastic rib band and elastic strips which cross in the back hold the brassiere firmly in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,544 to Flanagan et al. describes a sports bra having an elastic band attached to the bottom of said front and rear panels and extending continuously around said brassiere.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,005 to Braaten describes a sports bra having a continuous bottom edge with an elastic band secured to the bottom edge and coextensive with front and rear panel sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,381,113 to Hori describes a sports bra having an elastic band disposed about the lower edges of an inner fabric layer and an outer fabric layer to limit the transverse movement of breast cups of the bra.
In many instances, the sports bras of the prior art including a circumferential elastic band may cause irritation or discomfort to a wearer at a region where the elastic band secures the sports bra to the wearer. As such, improvements in sports bras and other articles of clothing are needed.